Kibale Forests National Park is a one-of-a-kind national park in Uganda with the most appealing and diverse tracts of tropical forests. Its tropical forests are a habitat to 13 primate species, including the common chimpanzees which are the major attraction there. Visiting this Park is very interesting as you will get engaged in various lifetime experiences such as; chimpanzee tracking, cultural encounters, superb birding experiences, and nature walks, among others.
The Park is firmly situated in the western parts of Uganda, about 5 hours’ drive from Kampala – Uganda’s capital city. This Park, like any other Ugandan national park, is located in a remote area and it can best be explored by use of a private hired car.
Uganda comprises of a mammoth of car rental companies that you can contact and get hired a very good fleet to use for transportation wherever you may want to go in Uganda, including to Kibale. The 4X4 Car Hire Uganda is of course among the rental companies in Uganda that you should rush to if you really want to take a fleet of the best quality.
The rental company surely offers good services and you can either go for a self-drive or a chauffeur guided safari, depending on what is convenient for you. With the chauffeur guided safari, you will hire a car together will an experienced driver-guide who will not only drive you safely on the poor roads of Uganda but also share with you some interesting stories about Uganda, mainly about tourism.
By all means, the chauffeur guided safari is the most convenient one because you will be able to know the Uganda tourism deeply since you will be with a person who has a great experience about it, contrary to a self-drive safari. Besides that, most of the Parks in Uganda, including Kibale, have poor roads which are really difficult to pass through especially when you are a stranger.
It is therefore a good choice to order for an experienced driver-guide from 4×4 car hire Uganda who has a savvy about the roads and can know how best to pass onto them. However, you are just advised to go with the chauffeur guided safaris but it is not that you are entitled to only opt for that as you can also decide to go for a self-drive but if you choose that, you are recommended to minimize your speed while in the park and also drive with much care because for any serious damage you cause on the car, you will be asked to pay a sum of US$ 1000 as a compensation fee for it to be repaired and brought back to life again for other businesses.
Though all the cars are under insurance, you should be aware that the insurance is just comprehensive – it works on the car when it is on the ground, meaning that the compensation fee will help in transporting the damaged car from the scene to where the insurance’s services are eligible.
Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale
The chimpanzee tracking expeditions are more joyous in Kibale than anywhere else in Uganda and the Park is the premier destination for chimpanzee tracking even all-over East Africa. A chimpanzee permit for Kibale National Park’s chimpanzees cost US$ 150 and it can easily be purchased for you by the tour operator you will have booked through. Like gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking is also done in groups though here are 6 individuals per tracking group. There is also no specific time to spend with the chimpanzees once tracked and found as it is with the gorillas in Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks.
This is due to the fact that the chimpanzees are not like gorillas which you will find on ground and view minus running – the chimpanzees are very playful and jumpy, hence if you are limited to view them within one hour as the gorillas you may end up not enjoying your trip. With chimpanzee tracking, you are given a lot of time to spend with the primates and you are ensured with memorable escapades.
Besides chimpanzee tracking, you will also enjoy brilliant views to many other primates like L’Hoest’s monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white Colobus and many others. You will also get involved in many other activities such as; excellent birding experiences, amazing cultural experiences, and nature walk which enables you to view many other things in the Park including trees, butterflies, and monkeys, among other species.
Kibale comprises of numerous accommodations within and outside to offer a very comfortable stay to its visitors/guests, and among them include Primate lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, and Isunga Lodge. The park is also within a stone’s throw away from some of Uganda’s most prominent national parks such as; Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
